ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SHUT-EYE?

HOW much sleep do we need? It’s a question I’m asked all the time.

The simplistic answer is that we generally need seven to eight hours every 24 hours.

However, it’s important to stress that there is, in fact, remarkable variation between individuals.

It’s a bit like shoe size. Today, the average male wears a UK size 10, but the available sizes vary from 5 to 15, as obviously one size does not fit all.

What we each need to do is identify what works best for us individually in terms of how long we sleep.

The record for the longest period a human has gone without sleep is 264.4 hours (11 days 24 minutes), set in 1964 by a 17-year-old student from California. By the end he could hardly speak, process information, concentrate, or remember information, and he experienced paranoia and hallucinations.

Of course, this is an extreme example, but as a guide, most of us begin to notice a significant loss of performance after just one night without enough sleep. After three nights of missed sleep we are functioning way below par.

Working out how much sleep you need is fairly simple: we just need to listen to our bodies, perhaps combined with comments made by friends, family or colleagues. But use the following as a guide …

IF ONE or more of the following statements describes you, then you’re not getting enough sleep and should take steps to get more each night:

YOU need an alarm clock to get out of bed.

YOU sleep in on days you don’t have to go to work/school.

IT TAKES you 20 minutes or more to wake up and feel alert.

WHEN woken, you want to go back to sleep.

YOU feel sleepy and irritable during the day.

YOU need a mid-afternoon nap to function properly.

YOU find it difficult to maintain concentration throughout the day.

YOU crave caffeinated and sugar-rich drinks especially first thing and later in the day, to give you an awakening ‘buzz’ and help you remain alert.

YOU tend to act impulsively — for instance, jumping a red traffic light, buying items you can’t really afford or betting online excessively.

FRIENDS, family or colleagues have commented that you’ve become more irritable or careless (perhaps drinking more), or maybe less sympathetic.

YOU’RE suffering from mood swings, anxiety, have a negative view of the world and may even experience depression.